The Easy Thing
by Scribbles-by-Kate
Summary: Based on the third sneak peek for 3.20 "Kansas". Belle reacts to what happened in the barn. Spoilers.


I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is the property of Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis and Disney and ABC. No money is being made from this story: it's just for fun.

Just a little 'what if' based on the recent sneak peek from 3.20 "Kansas"

**The Easy Thing**

Belle was holding Snow's hand when David came in with their son in his arms and a triumphant smile on his face.

'David!' Snow cried.

'Told you we'd get him back,' David said, placing the baby in his mother's arms.

'Oh,' Snow breathed, stroking her son's downy head: 'hey there.'

'What about Zelena?' Belle asked softly.

'Defeated,' David said, smiling: 'Regina stopped her.'

Belle's heart thumped. Did that mean that Rumple was free? She stood and moved towards the door; then Emma appeared, followed by Hook, and Henry, and Robin, and Regina, and…

'Rumple,' Belle whimpered. She was reaching for him, but then she saw the flash of metal in Regina's hand: Rumple's dagger.

'Why do you have that?' she asked sharply, sharply enough to draw all eyes to her.

'I was going to give it to you,' the queen said.

Belle stared at her. 'Why do you have it?' she demanded again: 'why doesn't Rumple have it? It belongs to him.' She was angry that, after all this time, he was still being controlled by that thing: didn't they see how wrong it was?

'He was going to kill Zelena,' Regina told her: 'I had to stop him.'

Belle looked at Rumplestiltskin. His mouth had formed a thin line and Belle knew that he still wanted to kill Zelena, and would, if given the opportunity. Belle didn't approve of murder, but neither was it right for Regina to force him into submission like this.

'So you took the dagger to keep him from doing that,' Belle said, shaking with anger.

'It was the right thing to do!' Regina said, not understanding Belle's outrage.

'No, it was the _easy_ thing to do,' Belle retorted, disgusted. She folded her arms, trying to calm herself. 'Didn't it occur to you to try to talk him out of it? Just because he _can_ be controlled with that thing doesn't make it right that he should be! He's a human being, not some animal that can't be reasoned with. You using that dagger to control his actions is just as bad as Zelena using it.'

'I only used it to stop him,' Regina said, trying to placate her, 'and now I'm giving it to you.' And she held the dagger out for Belle to take.

Belle made no move to take it. 'Don't you understand?' she asked: 'I want no part of that dagger.' And she looked at the object with disgust. 'I don't _want_ to control him: I want him to be free to make his own choices.'

'Would you have let him be free to kill Zelena?' Regina asked, surprised: obviously she hadn't thought Belle capable of wanting someone dead.

'I would have tried to talk him out of it, as I've always tried to talk him out of hurting people, though a lot of good that did me.' And Belle shot bitter looks at Regina and at Hook. 'You want me to keep that dagger so your minds can be put at ease that the Dark One isn't a threat.' She looked around the room knowingly: she'd long ago guessed that they would control him if they could, and that was the difference between them and her. 'Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I refuse to do that: I refuse to keep him locked in a cage, metaphorical or otherwise, so that you don't have to worry about what he might do next.' And she lifted her chin defiantly as she looked at Regina again.

'What do you want me to do?' Regina asked, exasperated.

'Give the dagger to Rumple,' Belle requested: 'let him choose for himself.'

'Do what she says, Regina,' Emma said softly: 'she's right.'

Belle smiled at the Saviour. 'Thank you, Emma.'

Emma nodded. 'The world throws enough obstacles in our way without having the right to choose our own path taken from us.'

'Fine,' Regina said, and she handed the dagger off to Rumplestiltskin.

He looked down at it and then up at Belle.

'Rumple,' she breathed, her voice thick with emotion at finally having him back.

'Belle.' And he reached for her.

Belle let herself fall into his arms and he held her close for a long moment. Then he helped her out of the room and down the hall, not particularly wanting an audience for their reunion.

'Belle,' he whispered, cupping her cheek gently, '_thank you_.'

'I'm just so glad to have you back,' she said, tears running down her cheeks.

He stared at her, realising that she didn't understand just how special what she'd just done was.

'The Dark One has been around a very, very long time, Belle,' he began to explain: 'millennia, in fact, and in all that time, you are the only person who's ever refused possession of the dagger, who's ever refused to control the Dark One. Consequently, you are the one and only person I would ever relinquish that control to: I would entrust this dagger to no one but you.'

'I just want you to be free to choose your own path,' she said, eyes wide.

He smiled. '"No one decides my fate but me": you said that the day we met, and I've never forgotten it.'

She smiled. 'Well, it's true.'

'Yes,' he agreed, 'so thank you for giving me back that freedom.' And he kissed her, a deep, needy kiss that spoke of how much he'd missed her and how much he loved her.

Belle wrapped her arms around him, sighing as they broke apart. 'I love you,' she whispered: 'I love you more than anything in all the realms, and I always will.'

'I love you too, always: you're the most important person in my life now, and I'm never, ever gonna let anything hurt you.'

Belle blinked at the flicker of pain in his eyes, and then she saw the anger. Neal was gone and nothing would bring him back, but she could try to ensure that his father didn't give in to his desire for vengeance: she knew Neal wouldn't want that for him.

She cupped his face in gentle hands. 'Rumple, I know how angry you are,' she murmured: 'I know how much it hurts, and I feel it too, but I know that Neal wouldn't want you to give in to your hate. He saw the good in you, Rumple, I know he did, and he wouldn't want you to take the path of vengeance now. Please, don't give in to your hate: don't let his sacrifice have been in vain.'

Rumplestiltskin knew that she was right: she was always right, but that didn't lessen the pain in his heart, nor decrease the size of the hole in his soul. Killing Zelena wouldn't make any of that any easier, though: nothing could make it easier, except, perhaps, time. It was easy to do the easy thing: easy to give in to his thirst for vengeance. The right thing was much harder: the right thing was to be the man Bae had wanted him to be, the man Belle was helping him to be. He didn't want for Bae to have died in vain, and so he would try, with Belle's strength and love to guide him, to resist the darkness and the vengeance.

He dropped his head against Belle's shoulder and his tears soaked her jacket. Belle could almost feel the anger ebbing out of him and grief take its place. She could feel his shoulders shaking, hear his muffled crying, and she began to cry too.

'I'm so sorry,' she sobbed, running her fingers through his hair.

Rumplestiltskin held her tighter, knowing that she meant it, knowing that she had loved Bae too.

They stood holding each other for a long time. People came and went down the hallway, but neither of them paid them any mind. At last, Rumplestiltskin straightened up and smiled weakly.

'Thank you, Belle,' he murmured hoarsely.

She nodded solemnly and put her arm around him, and they walked out of the hospital together.

Rumplestiltskin held Belle close as they walked. He was once again free to decide his own fate thanks to her, and with her help, he would choose the right path.

**Thanks for reading :)**


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